The more perplexing news is that in this particular case I’m not sure of what exactly it is.

You see, a terra cotta pot from last season that sat on the balcony through the winter sprouted and filled up with so many lovely, dainty leaves that I decided to just let it be and see what developed.

It’s developed into what you see here: a profusion of lacy edged leaves with some taller spikes boasting thinner leaves protruding at intervals. And now it looks as though those spiky protrusions are on the verge of flowering. (Click on the second image for a closer look.)

As I’ve mentioned before, I usually stick with annuals for my container garden. Many perennials don’t flower the first year, and the chances of something making it to a second year after sitting exposed (without the protection afforded by being underground) are pretty low in zone 5.

Yet, this is what I have, and there’s way too much of it to believe that it was a random gift left by one of our feathered friends. So, I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with what was in that pot. Likely something stunning, which in full, glorious bloom I was unable to resist.

I thought delphinium was a likely candidate, since I’d had a pot of it in that location before. But as I recall, the leaves looked completely different, more like palm fronds… And of course, I may have mixed two varieties in the container (although two of the seldom-selected perennials winding up in the same pot seems pretty unlikely).

So, I’d really appreciate a little help from all my plant-loving friends out there. Go ahead, name that plant — and don’t let it be a weed (smile).

Like this:

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Ha ha… don’t let it be weed. That’s right! Sorry I cannot tell 😉 guess it looks like balsam. It is really nice to have surprises. I have a pot that sometimes a caladium shows up and other times, the coleus might just grow nicely… rest of the time, the dollarweed will be there. Happy discovering!

The bits that are sticking out look like Horseweed (although the little spiny hairs are odd). The lacy-edged spade shaped leaves are some kind of Nepeta (Catnip.)

The Horseweed was probably dropped by a bird. It’s just a weed. I’d pull it up.

Since you have a kitty, I’ll venture a guess that you grew some catnip in the past and it probably self-seeded. The seeds could even have blown from one pot to another if you don’t think you had catnip near that pot…

Looks like you have a couple other kinds of weeds in there (bottom left corner of pic 1.) I can’t recall the name of that one though. Lamb quarter’s maybe?

Thanks all for the feedback on the mystery plant. I have grown catnip before, so that is a possibility. I’ll see what things look like in the coming days before I decide what to do with the other. My cat ignores catnip, so he’s no help with the i.d. 😉

I also think it’s catnip – or it looks exactly like the catnip my daughter planted last year! Our catnip has come back, but I don’t think I’ve seen the flower spike. That’s from the same plant?? It took a while for our cat to find the catnip, but we do catch her going to it from time to time – then catch her zipping across the yard back and forth at full speed. 🙂

Wendy, It was catnip. I must’ve had it in that pot the previous summer. I remember trying it and I remember my cat ignoring it, even though he responds to dried catnip. He ignored it again this summer, so it’s a waste. I’ve been trying to gift it to a friend’s cat. Cat grass appears to be my cat’s snack of choice 😉

Who And Why

I'm Avis, an editor and writer who's returned to her Florida roots after years spent in Chicago. ........................................................
I grew up in Florida with a wide, grass-carpeted backyard. Still, I didn't become acquainted with the concept of "garden" or the quiet rapture found therein until several years ago. Inspired in part by the planters I'd seen attached to the wrought iron railings of apartments on the bustling city streets of Paris and in part by Chicago's magnificent median divides, I decided to try a few flower boxes on the balcony of my Chicago condo. My complete lack of knowledge was offset by the blessing of a southern exposure and, in that first season, the gift of consistent rain in the days after my plants were set out. I pressed my luck and threw a few seeds in a pot and was soon rewarded with what I gleefully dubbed "basil trees." I was hooked!
So now I'm back in Florida and I'll be trying my hand at cultivating an urban garden under the sweltering Zone 9 sun, remaining ever mindful of just how much rapture gardens cultivate in me. I hope you'll be in league with me on this new gardening journey! .........................................................

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